Steam (Homecoming Hearts #4)(46)

“You in town just for tonight?” Trent asked.

Reyse sighed. “Sadly. I couldn’t even make the ceremony. I hope the guys understand.”

“Shit, yeah,” Trent said without doubt.

“They all here?”

Trent scoffed and sighed. “I think you missed Raiden. He and his partner are, um, enthusiastic when it comes to public settings.” They were undoubtedly already fucking in a closet somewhere. Or on their balcony. Or in their bathtub. Trent had heard it all from Rai.

“Damn,” said Reyse with a sigh. “I really thought…it’s been three years since we’ve all been in the same room, you know?”

“Have breakfast with us tomorrow,” Trent said easily.

Reyse shook his head. “I’m heading back to the airport in two hours,” he said, checking his hundred-thousand-dollar watch. He sounded so tired. But then he grinned and finished off his drink so he could start the next one with Trent. “So, give me the headlines, bro! Congrats on The Fixer, by the way. Joey said you’ve got a date with you?”

The way his words edged up in tone at the end told Trent that Joey had filled Reyse in with all the juicy gossip.

But rather than get angry and deny it, something in Trent broke. This was Reyse. “We said we’d come here as friends,” said, running his finger around the whiskey tumbler, making it sing.

“But?” Reyse prompted.

“But…” Trent said. Fuck it. It was time to let the truth out. “He likes me and…I think I might like him.”

Reyse nodded. “But you’re scared?” He didn’t even pause in his stride at the idea of Trent potentially dating a guy.

Trent nodded miserably. “Not like I don’t wanna be queer,” he clarified with a frown. “But he’s too important to take the chance on breaking his heart. Because I don’t know what I want.”

Reyse studied him for a minute. Then, checking the bartender was a respectful distance away, he leaned in and put his lips close to Trent’s ear.

“Do you want to run your hands over his skin?” he whispered, his words hot and sultry. “Do you want to kiss him and make him feel so good? Do you want to hold him and protect him and make him come so goddamn hard he screams your name?”

Trent didn’t realize he was shaking until Reyse pulled away. Trent could feel his cock straining in his pants. He took a shaky breath, then a big gulp of whiskey. “Okay,” he rasped. “When you put it like that…”

Reyse smiled kindly, then squeezed Trent’s leg briefly. “Don’t be me,” he said. Trent caught the melancholy in his tone all of a sudden, no doubt despite Reyse’s best efforts to keep it out. “Don’t watch your life pass you by. Love is so fucking precious. If he makes your heart sing, don’t let the ‘what ifs’ paralyze you. Besides,” he added, lightening his mood. “If you really are queer, that makes a full Below Zero set.”

Trent glanced up immediately, but the bartender was on his phone, too far away to hear their soft voices over the noise of the party through the doors outside. Reyse was too sensible to risk being overheard.

“I don’t want to sound dramatic,” Reyse said after downing his drink. “But…do it for me. One of us should have the choice.”

It was like the floodgates opened in Trent’s heart. He had permission. He would just ask Ashby if this was what he wanted, then go for it. If every couple agonized over what might happen down the line before they’d even tried, no one would ever get together.

“Okay,” he said shakily.

He followed Reyse’s example and knocked back the last of his drink, the alcohol thrumming nicely in his system. But this wasn’t like Joey and Gabe’s wedding, where he’d gotten blackout drunk. He still had his wits about him. His cock was still good to go.

“You coming out?” he asked.

Reyse shook his head. “You have your moment,” he said. “Go get your man. I’ll make an entrance in a minute.”

To someone else, that might have sounded horrendously indulgent. But Trent knew it was extremely thoughtful on his friend’s part. “Thanks, man,” he said, stepping in for one last embrace. “It was so fucking good to see you.”

“You too,” Reyse said.

The party was in full swing. Trent felt bad as he approached Ashby, knowing he was going to ask him to leave. But luckily, he was lingering by the dance floor, alone. This was Trent’s chance. He was sick of running away.

The dark of the night went some way to masking Trent as he slipped his hand lightly over Ashby’s waist. He looked over at him, startled. “Hi,” Ashby said, almost framing it like a question.

Trent was trembling again, this time with nerves. But he thought of Reyse’s provocative words and found his resolve. “Hi,” he said back. “Um, do you maybe want to call it a night?”

Ashby blinked several times. “Uh, sure,” he said. “Do you want to say goodbye to people?”

That would blow Trent’s confidence for sure. He shook his head. “We’ll see them at breakfast.”

Ashby nodded. “Okay,” he said. He offered Trent a shaky smile, then reached down to take his hand, entwining their fingers together. It felt so good Trent’s knees almost buckled. “Lead the way.”